Our Vision at Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church is: People Bringing People to Christ. We'll be posting the text versions of the sermon from our morning worship service here weekly! For more information on our church or service times, visit our website at www.pbpres.org.

Friday, September 30, 2016

Don’t Lag, be Ardent (Romans 12:9-21) by Rev. Dr. Alan W. Deuel

A visitor to Minnesota writes about
his experience. “In the community of Nisswa, Minnesota,
an event happens a couple times a year which draws people from all around, the
popular Nisswa Turtle Races. Every Wednesday evening in the summer months, the
people of Nisswa and the surrounding communities gather at a designated parking
lot for the weekly races.

It's big excitement
and big business. Vendors rent turtles; others sell "turtle products."
And the fans gather early, placing their chairs and blankets in the best
viewing sites. In one recent contest, 435 turtles raced in heats of fifteen
over a six-foot-long course.

Bif, the
announcer, calls the turtles to their mark, gives them the "Go!" . .
. and the crowd goes wild. People stand, jump, and wave their hands in the air,
imploring their turtles to be unturtle-like. The excitement grows and finally
reaches a boiling point as the preliminary winners all gather for the
championship race.

Amid unrestrained
shouts and cheers, the first turtle crosses the finish line, and the winning "trainer"
receives five dollars—along with a turtle necklace. What an uncharacteristic
frenzy of emotion for the normally reserved folks of Northern
Minnesota!”

Exuberance, enthusiasm, what do you get excited about? The stress and tension, the hurt and

disappointments, the pressure and
demands of life take their toll; they constantly threaten to deplete our energy
and vitality. Life can lead us down dark
roads of pessimism. You know people who have lost their zest for life. Who have given up? The truth is that life can become routine, we
can become stagnant and lose our vivacity.

When you think of someone you
know who is enthusiastic who comes to mind?
The word "enthusiasm" is actually derived from the roots of
two Greek words; en — “in or within” and theos — “God.” It means having God within or being inspired
or possessed by God. I don’t know but
there’s just something about enthusiasm, it’s contagious. It’s catchy. It rouses people out of their lethargy.

Enthusiastic people light up our
lives. They stir us up. They have an ability to radiate energy. They are curious, inquisitive. They are intensely interested in other people. They aren’t afraid to try something new. They focus on the positive, when things are
negative; on what’s possible, when things seem impossible, on clearing
roadblocks rather than being stopped by them.
They look for solutions to problems, rather than blame. They look for options, possibilities. They feel deeply and laugh often. A sense of humor is key. They don’t take themselves so seriously. They give themselves fully in what they do, no
matter how small the task. They serve a greater purpose than themselves.

In her book Exuberance: The
Passion for Life Kay Jamison profiles Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, whose
passion for the glories of the natural world touched and influenced millions. This
buoyant quality enables people to do great things. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "Every
great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some
enthusiasm." There is a playful
dimension in the spiritual writings of the Christian Saints like Hildegard of
Bingen, a twelfth century mystic, who wrote: “Be Juicy people, filled with
wonder, delight, and optimism.”

If all we do is complain, we need
a change of attitude. If we are negative
much of the time, often feeling sorry for ourselves, if we see darkness rather
than light most of the time, we need a change of heart. Why? It’s
not healthy. It’s not what God intended
for your life or mind. And further it’s
not a great way to make friends. People
get tired of hearing us. Let’s be honest,
people stop listening after a while.

I remember a woman who was
extremely critical, negative, always complaining, and a poor listener. She was
difficult to be around for very long. She
said one time, “I just no longer have any friends, they are all busy, they
don’t have time for me, no one calls me anymore.” How do you want to be remembered? “She was a glass half empty person; we
called him Mr. Crabby.” God didn’t
say, “I think I’ll create a race of grumblers.” God wants us to live passionate, helpful, hope-filled,
positive, committed, and energized lives.
A lack of enthusiasm often stems from ingratitude, a sense of
entitlement, a lack of appreciation, and self-centeredness. As a Christian I also believe it stems from a
lack of faith. You think it all depends
on you.

The Bible in the letter of Romans
says: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the
Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Another translation says: “Never lag in zeal, be ardent, be aglow and
on fire, serving the Lord.” God’s
word is talking about being enthusiastic followers of Jesus, in your witness, your
faith, and your attitude. Jesus is
talking about letting others know you are his follower regardless of the
circumstances. And that takes the power
of God working in our hearts.

We read in I Thessalonians: “Rejoice
always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Jesus says: “Everyone who
acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge him before my Father in
heaven.”

God wants you to do your work, to
fulfill your responsibilities, whatever they are, to serve, wherever you are, with
such ardor that others see Christ in you.
If it’s being a mom, what a gift from the Lord, give it everything
you’ve got. If it’s being a dad, what a
gift, give it your all. If its serving
in the church or community, what a privilege, give it your whole heart. If it’s babysitting, what a blessing, give it
your all. If its being a student, what
an opportunity, give it 100%. If it’s
being a grandparent, now that’s an easy one, most grandparents I know are quite
exuberant. God wants us to give our
heart and soul, to radiate His love and care, and God will bless such an
attitude. Yes, such an attitude makes
all the difference. When you hear it, when
you see it, when you smell it, when you sense it, when you feel it, you are
blessed.

I remember a woman at another
church who said: “Pastor, why
do other churches have women’s retreats and we don’t? I said well, we need leadership.” She said: “Would you mind if I starting
talking around to see if there is interest in a women’s retreat?” I said “By all means.” She started talking to other women of the
church, gathered a small planning group together, recruited a speaker, and that
fall our church sponsored our first women’s retreat.

That’s the difference between
enthusiastic people and grumblers. Grumblers
say, “Look at this problem, isn’t it awful, whose fault is this.” Enthusiastic people say: “We have a
problem. What do we need to do to solve
it, Lord, how can I help?” Vehemence,
ardor finds solutions where there appear to be none, and seeks breakthroughs
where it was thought impossible.

God has given you power, through
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Take
time to renew your spiritual resources each day. Our lives need to be infused with the
goodness and power and joy of God every day.
A good prayer is: God, grant me a grateful heart. I want to be aglow with your presence? I want to serve and support others joyfully
and freely without feeling obligated. Enliven
my Spirit. May people see Christ in me.

Our member Judi Hauser texted me
recently about a visit with member Jean Stone, who is in her 90’s and back in
the hospital. Judi wrote: “I wanted
you to know I spent an hour with Jean Stone today. She is such a strong willed determined person
and so cheerful. She says she is doing
very little exercise, but her left arm and the pelvic area are improving. She
has a doctor’s appointment on Monday and hopes to see significant improvement. We had a great visit and I deeply admire her
strength and faith.”

Retired baseball player Cal
Ripken, the ironman, of the Baltimore Orioles played a record-breaking 2,632
consecutive ball games. Ripken's mother
tells the story about the night before Cal's
first Little League baseball game. “When
I tucked him in that evening, I noticed he was wearing his baseball uniform. I
told him he didn't need to do that; he'd have plenty of time to dress in the
morning. So I made him get up and change into his pajamas. Several hours later before turning in for the
night, Mrs. Ripken went in to check on Cal
one more time. He was sound asleep, snug and comfy--in his uniform!” Sometimes we adults can learn something from
the unrestrained enthusiasm of our children.

Where do you get inspiration? I like what Rev. Robert Schuller wrote: “Add
up your joys; never count your sorrows. Look
at what you have left in your life; never look at what you have lost. Relive your happy memories. Treat yourself to replays of that great
collection of joyful experiences that have occurred in your past. There are many wonderful things that have
happened to you in life.”

I close with these words of
wisdom: "Do not judge whether what you are doing is impressive or
mediocre. Just give yourself to whatever
you do fully and with this knowledge: God is within me. All actions that I
perform are an offering to God."

Let us be positive, exuberant
followers of our Lord. Never lag in zeal,
be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord, rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere
in prayer. Why, because our days and our lives are an
offering to God. Amen!

About our Church

We here at Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church are a family of Christians dedicated to sharing the word of God with our neighbors. Our vision is: People Bringing People to Christ. We have a single Sunday morning worship service at 10:00am, and our 7:00pm Roots Young Adult Service.